Monthly Archives: October 2013

Sometimes in the collecting world you see something that seems so good to be true, you can’t possibly believe it’s real. That’s how I felt last year when MegaHouse debuted the unpainted prototype of the One Piece P.O.P. MAXIMUM Gold Lion Shiki Strong Edition figure. I was certain that MegaHouse would cancel the figure due to lack of interest or it being too logistically difficult to produce. But defying the odds, the One Piece Portrait of Pirates Shiki figure is a reality, and the limited One Piece POP Shiki has now been released!

After the massive disappointment that was the “big reveal” of the Bandai Figuarts Zero Trafalgar Law Battle Ver. figure, Law fans really needed some good news–and now they have it! While fans aren’t exactly jumping up and down with excitement to order the FAZ Law, he’s not the only new Punk Hazard Law figure in town.

Prepare to be crushed, One Piece collectors. All the time I say things like “Bandai rarely disappoints me with their One Piece Figuarts Zero figures line”. Well, today Bandai disappointed me in a big, big way. We’ve been waiting all month to get our first gander at the Figuarts Zero One Piece Trafalgar Law Battle Ver. figure that was announced here at the beginning of October, and today Bandai sent out the official photos preview of the Battle Ver Trafalgar Law figure. Unfortunately, the first 2014 Figuarts Zero figure does not get us off to good start for the new year…

If slow and steady wins the race, then Banpresto has absolutely nothing to fear with their One Piece SCultures Series 2 figures. The six figures selected for the Series 2 One Piece SCultures assortment were first shown at the end of 2012, and slowly but surely, they’ve been trickling out to happy collectors’ hands over the course of 2013. Releases started with the SCultures Shirahoshi and spread to the always-popular Perona, and the latest has just arrived last week: the Banpresto One Piece SCultures Crocodile figure is now available for order!

There is no toy manufacturer today that makes excellent One Piece figures more consistently or reliably than Bandai. How else can you explain the fact that they released two figures this past week, one of which of a character that I absolutely detest, and yet upon seeing the production photos of said character I immediately went and placed an order for it? Regular readers know that she’s perhaps the One Piece character that I love to hate the most, and her newest figure is now available–it’s the Bandai One Piece Figuarts Zero Perona Thriller Bark Ver. figure, which has now been released!

Banpresto has a pretty successful track record with their One Piece Grandline Men series of figures, as the lineup tends to encompass only the most prominent and/or most popular characters from the One Piece manga and anime. Banpresto has given us several characters that haven’t had any representation in the 5″ and above scale from any other company, and their choices have been very solid–but they have may have just released their first dud. Now released overseas–it’s the Vol. 17 One Piece Grandline Men Vergo figure!

I’m long since over Tony Tony Chopper. I passed the point a long time ago where I stopped seeing Chopper as being “cute” and started wanting to punch him in the face every time he opened his mouth for being weak and annoying. So I fully expected MegaHouse was not going to be able to win my praise with any Chopper they showed off for the One Piece 2014 Portrait of Pirates line. But, well… then MegaHouse had to go and show this amazing Horn Point Chopper P.O.P., which is now up for pre-order!

Trafalgar Law is a pretty popular guy. By which I mean “earth-shatteringly, riot-inducingly” popular–perhaps more popular than any other singular character in the entire One Piece franchise. Yes, Trafalgar Law is a popular guy. So it should come as no surprise that, following the crazy blockbuster success that was the 2013 Figuarts Zero Trafalgar Law Punk Hazard figure, Bandai is opening up 2014 with another Law. Coming February 2014–Figuarts Zero One Piece Trafalgar Law Battle Version figure!

If there’s an award to be won for the most nonessential character captured by Bandai in the Figuarts Zero One Piece figures line, that prize is most likely going to the first (non-Kokoro) mermaid we see in the One Piece manga and anime universe: Camie! On her own, Camie would be a particularly dull figurine, but Bandai has wisely made sure that she’s not coming alone–she’s accompanied by her starfish mentor, Pappug!